DEUTERONOMY 4

Deuteronomy 4:1-4

v. 1 The first reason given for following God's laws – self interest in conquering and remaining in the

land. It is important to recognize that God's commands are for our own good, not just God's attempts to 

arbitrarily restrict our freedoms.

v. 2 Not adding or subtracting. This same admonition is found at end of Revelation. How does this 

apply to Christians today? What types of groups are more likely to add or to subtract from God's 

commands? My unusual personal guide for determining if I am not straying too far from Biblical truth 

is when an equal number of people think I am a flaming liberal or a dyed-in-the-wool fundamentalist.

vv. 1,5,22,40 There is a connection between the Jews' obedience and their possession of the land. This 

is often forgotten in some popular premillennial teachings.

v. 4 The rabbis appealed to this verse for the idea of resurrection of the dead.

Deuteronomy 4:5-8

This is an important second reason given for obeying God's commands – as a witness to outsiders.

Israel will be distinguished from the peoples by the nearness of their God and their laws (both 

interrelated). In the Near East, the king was the fount of all wisdom. For example, look at the Law of 

Hammurabi, which is interesting to compare with biblical laws. In the Bible, wisdom comes directly 

from God to the people as a whole. “The” commandment is the use of the collective singular as in 

Romans 7:12.

v. 6 This phrase is quoted in Colossians 1:9.

Deuteronomy 4:9-13 

 Does anybody see a problem with these statements? They were not literally true since this was a new

generation who had not witnessed the most powerful events of the Exodus. Explanation?

One easy explanation is that Moses was only addressing the oldest men in the group, who had been

under 20 at the time of earlier events. Southern Baptist Quarterly: “Some of his hearers would've been 

children at the time of that gathering. Others were yet to be born but nevertheless were 'there' in the 

sense that their parents were present.” Hebrews 7 says that Levi gave tithes to Melchizadek since he 

was a descendant of Abraham in spite of the fact that he had not even been born yet

This is related to the command in verse 9 to make known to children and children's children. Statistics 

show that about 70% of high school students leave church after graduation. Why? Statistics on biblical 

ignorance among churched kids show that half of them don't know simple facts such as who said “You 

must be born again.” Whose fault? – parents, the church, secular forces in our society, or the simple 

fact that many kids simply don't read. On a positive note, further studies have shown that a fair number 

of these return after marriage and children.

v. 13 Two tablets: The custom was to give a copy of a treaty to both parties.

Deuteronomy 4:15-19

Since you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire, take care and watch 

yourselves closely so that you do not act corruptly by making an idol for yourselves in the form of any 

figure:

Male or female,

Animal,

Winged bird,

Things that creep on the ground,

Fish,

Sun, moon and stars

Note anything particular about the order in which these are mentioned? Significance? (reminder of the Genesis 1 account and the fact that God created them all). When contents of a document or question were quoted or alluded to, it was often in the reverse order (like the discussion of the 2^nd Commandment before the First in this chapter).

Deuteronomy 4:15 This is an interesting reason for the prohibition of images – God could not be seen. 

In the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:4-5) it almost reads like two separate commandments: (1) Do 

not make any image and (2) do not worship it. It is clear in this passage that the emphasis is on 

worshiping the image, not just on the making of it. Especially see verses 19 and 28. These actions are 

labeled in vv. 16 and 25 as corruption.

Is there anything wrong with making sacred images today? It is not just a theoretical issue for me since 

one of my hobbies is art work. What about the Orthodox church's use of icons, the iconoclast 

controversy in the past, our own stained glass windows, images of the cross, etc. Attempts to picture 

God are harmful because (a) they limit God to the image and (b) there is a temptation to revere the 

image in place of God.

Is the situation in NT times any different since Christ came in bodily form and said, “If you have seen 

me, you have seen the Father”?

Deuteronomy 4:29 “heart, soul and strength, etc.” is used in Luke 10:27.

Deuteronomy 4:32 The same point is made in Habakkuk 1:5, quoted in Acts 13:41 – the Chaldeans 

will be used by God to invade other nations.

Deuteronomy 4:37 Chosen = election to serve God (Luke 18:1-8)

Deuteronomy 4:39 This actually goes beyond the First Commandment in making it clear that other 

“gods” are “no gods.”

Joshua 24:15: Choose this day whom you will serve...

Hebrews 3:13: Exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today.”

Why the emphasis on “today?” “It functions as part of an appeal for decisive action....The immediate 

past, the present, and the immediate future merge into one another. Certain memorable events have 

happened (vv. 32-38), are happening (39), and are about to happen (40) to give 'this day' its central and 

theological significance..” New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis

Deuteronomy 4:41-42 Then Moses set apart on the east side of the Jordan three cities to which a 

homicide could flee, someone who unintentionally kills another person, the two not having been at 

enmity before; the homicide could flee to one of these cities and live.

Later, additional cities of refuge would be set up on the other side of the Jordan. The two-fold purpose 

was to (1) stop the practice of blood feuds between families and tribes (like the McCoy-Hatfield Feud) 

that had the potential of disrupting the unity of the people of Israel, and (2) to protect anyone who had 

accidentally killed someone, who had committed involuntary manslaughter. There is a clear distinction 

in the Bible between the words translated “kill” and “murder.” This passage provides a clear indication 

of God's law taking into account the motive, not just the act itself.

These verses may not seem especially important at first glance, but it marks a milestone in biblical 

history, at least according to Jacques Ellul in his book The Meaning of the City.

He traces the concept of the city throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and notes an 

interesting trend. The city starts out as a force opposed to God. Cain is told he must be a wanderer; 

instead he founded a city and named it after his son. His descendants settled there and basically created 

everything they needed to be self-sufficient and not reliant on God. The next city we hear about is 

Babel whose inhabitants went one step further. Then there is Nineveh, founded by Nimrod, that God 

later threatens to destroy due to its wickedness. Then we have Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of 

 Egypt where the Jews were kept in slavery. The walled cities of Canaan come next, representing the 

enemies of God's people.

Ellul concludes that the redemption of the city of man continues when the temple is set up in 

Jerusalem, and finally at the end of time when we will be living, not in a garden like Eden, but in a city, 

the New Jerusalem.